Afe Babalola, others to get honorary doctorate at UNILAG

Five years after the legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola, left the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as its Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council, leaving behind a resounding success, he will return to the institution on February 8 to receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters at its Golden Jubilee Convocation.

Babalola was nominated for the Honorary Doctoral Degree with two others- former Prime Minister Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and Arthur Mbanefo.

The legal icon was Unilag’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman-of-Council between 2002 and 2007 during which he won the ‘Best Pro-Chancellor Award’ in 2005 and 2006.

Aare Babalola was given an Honorary Doctor of Letter by the Kogi State University, Ayingba in November last year.

A letter dated November 5, 2012, signed by Unilag’s Registrar, Mr. Oluwarotimi Shodimu, reads: “The award is in recognition of your immense contributions to the development of education, advancement of knowledge, learning and research. Also, note is taken of your unrelenting philanthropic contributions to the advancement of education and your passion for seeking the general welfare of the society. The university noted in particular that as a former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council for the two periods that you were appointed, you contributed immensely to the development of the university and you have remained consistent, putting the university on the world map. You laid the foundation and provided the roadmap for the present enviable ranking of the university as the best in Nigeria and 16th in Africa. Your unrelenting drive and passion for excellence are unquantifiable.

“The university’s memory is filled with the remarkable achievements you made in the course of restoring values on the academia, providing the blueprint for income generating units and creation of new avenues of endowment in the university. The benefits remain obvious till today…”

Aare Babalola, also the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), described the honour as ‘the most fulfilling’ of his career, adding that the experience at Unilag helped him establish and nurture ABUAD to a reference point today.

Said he: “Of all the letters of award I have received from Nigeria and beyond, the letter of award dated November 5, 2012 addressed to me by the University of Lagos, is the most inspiring, exciting and moving.

“Significantly, it was my experience garnered at that time which, in large measure, has assisted me in the planning and execution of ‘the project ABUAD’, which has now metamorphosed into a model, reference point and pace-setter university in reformatory education in Nigeria.”